PNR
Also known as: Passenger Name Record, PNR number, PNR status
Passenger Name Record — the unique 10-digit code Indian Railways assigns to every train booking. PNR is used to check ticket status, seat allocation, waitlist position, and refund eligibility.
PNR (Passenger Name Record) is the 10-digit unique identifier IRCTC assigns to every train booking in India. It encodes the booking metadata: train number, journey date, source and destination, passenger details, fare paid, and current ticket status (Confirmed, RAC, Waitlist, Cancelled). The PNR is generated at the moment of booking and printed on the e-ticket; it is the canonical reference for everything downstream — checking status, requesting refunds, filing a TDR, contacting customer care.
A single PNR can cover up to 6 passengers on the same booking. When a Waitlist (WL) PNR partially confirms, Indian Railways prepares a chart 4 hours before train departure that finalises the seat allocation. If the PNR remains WL after chart preparation, the ticket is automatically cancelled and refund is credited back; the booking IS still travel-eligible only if the chart resolved it to Confirmed or RAC.
Third-party apps that specialise in PNR analytics — most notably ConfirmTkt — use historical chart data to predict whether a Waitlist PNR will confirm before departure, expressed as a confidence percentage. The PNR status is also queryable on the IRCTC Rail Connect app, the IRCTC website, the railway enquiry portal at enquiry.indianrail.gov.in, and via SMS to 139 with the message `PNR <10-digit-number>`.